


Halloween 1974

by oceaneyesinla



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 08:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27348373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceaneyesinla/pseuds/oceaneyesinla
Summary: Before 2020, the last Halloween full moon was in 1974, during the Marauders 4th year. Remus thinks he'll miss out on the festivities this year. Not a chance with friends like his.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Halloween 1974

**Author's Note:**

> 31st October left me broken with all the sad James and Lily stuff, so I had to write a happy story about friendship and pranks and NO ONE DYING. Please enjoy!

Being a werewolf really sucked sometimes. Well, it was always a curse he could never escape but sometimes it was just really fucking inconvenient. Every year, Hogwarts had a Feast on 31st October to celebrate Halloween and every year, the Marauders pulled out all the stops to pull off a prank everyone would be talking about until Christmas. It was a tradition that started their first year and they always started planning on the train to Hogwarts. So excited was he, that he forgot the full moon fell on Halloween this year. Once he realised, he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to sit this one out and hear about it later. He knew they would tell him everything in great detail; James and Sirius knew how to tell a story. But it wouldn’t be the same.

He still helped them plan, however because his misfortune shouldn’t stop them from enjoying the feast. They did more than enough for him. They accepted him, welcomed him and never once looked at him like he was a danger to them. In fact, there were times when he was sure they made themselves vulnerable to prove a point. He smiled every time they startled him out of a book (once he was finished glaring at them, of course) and he returned the contact every time they pushed into his personal space. It was their way of telling him they felt safe in his company and he thanked his lucky stars he found people so willing to look past his flaws and see the boy underneath.

As Halloween grew closer, they finalised the plan then kept surprisingly quiet about it. He assumed they had realised the full moon was that night and were sparing him. The night of, they bade him farewell as they headed to the Great Hall and he headed for where Madam Pomfrey was waiting for him, sympathy on her face. As he walked down to the Shrieking Shack, he had to smile, just a little, imagining what they were getting up to. This year's prank was something special.

*************************

As he walked slowly back to the Gryffindor tower, trying his best to conceal the pain filling him, he was expecting to hear the people he passed discussing the prank from the night before. However, he heard absolutely nothing. Not even a whisper. There was no discussion of it, even when he got back to the Common Room. It was late enough that his friends had all retreated to the dorm and so he made his way up the stairs, smiling despite the pain when four faces grinned at him as he entered.

“Hey Moony!” James piped up from his position on his bed, leaning up against the headboard with a Quidditch strategy book in his hands.

“Pomfrey let you out already? Figured we’d see you in class tomorrow.” Sirius was perched on the bed opposite, Eve next to him. By the parchment in front of them, Remus guessed they were working on one of their essays for class.

Remus lowered himself onto his bed slowly, “She wanted to keep me but I talked her into letting me out. Wanted to hear all about the prank. How did it go?”

Four pairs of eyes met and in sync, moved to Remus. He was instantly suspicious, “What happened?”

Peter was the one to speak up, always the first to defend them, “Nothing!”

“For once, he’s telling the truth. Prank didn’t happen.” James shut his book, leaning forward, elbows on his now crossed legs.

Remus was confused and he was sure his face said as much. Why go to all the effort of planning if they weren’t pulling the prank this year? Unless they got caught? No, that wouldn't happen. James, Sirius and Eve were brilliant enough to deal with any curveballs and Peter was damn sneaky when he wanted to be.

“C’mon, Moony. You didn’t think we’d pull the yearly prank without you?”

Tears stung at his eyes and he blinked, trying to pretend it was a combination of pain and exhaustion. However, the warm feeling filling his chest said something different.

“A Marauder’s Prank just isn’t the same when we’re down a Marauder. Besides, this will drive the professors mad. They were expecting something on Halloween night. McGonagall has been giving me the side eye all day.” James laughed and the rest joined him, clearly delighted with themselves for this exceptional defiance of expectations.

Remus was just very glad James, Eve and Sirius had found him that first day on the Hogwarts Express. He went to sleep that night feeling lighter than he ever usually did so soon after a full. And it was all thanks to the friends who slept around him.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a couple more ideas for Halloween 1974. I may post these once I actually write them.


End file.
